Phyllostachys nigra
Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Munro, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 26 (1), 1868: 38 var. nigra
Synonyms: Bambusa nigra Lodd. ex Lindl.; Phyllostachys puberula var. nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Makino; Phyllostachys nana Rendle; Phyllostachys nigripes Hayata; Phyllostachys filifera McClure.
Thai names: ไผ่ดำจีน (phai dam chin); ไผ่ดำ (phai dam).
English names: Chinese Black Bamboo; Black Bamboo.
Distribution: THAILAND: introduced, in cultivation. — CHINA (Central): southern Hunan, in open forests of valleys at about 1,100 m altitude, cultivated elsewhere in China. — In cultivation in many countries worldwide.
Descriptions:
(1) Kew GrassBase [#1335].
(2) Flora of China [#1303].
(3) Flora of Taiwan [#1106].
Images: Line drawing in Flora of China (1), (2) [#1303]; Flora of Taiwan [#1106]. Photos in AsianFlora (culms) [#1332]; Lihua Jiang on Facebook, 24 June 2022 (flowering branch, seeds, etc.).
Uses: Plants as garden ornamentals and for landscaping.
Flowering and seeding: Flowering of Phyllostachys nigra and similar cultivated varieties in the USA has been reported in 2021 (Noah Bell on Facebook, 3 Dec. 2021 and 23 Sep. 2022).
Comments: Plants raised from seeds usually develop black culms, but some can develop green culms.
Specimens: BS-0242 [-], BS-0194 [-] (living plants), received from cultivated stock in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, in 2008 and 2009.
Culm size: Height 10 (12) m, diameter 4 (5) cm (potential maximum size), in the Chiang Mai plain at 300 m altitude, possibly not over 5 m tall.
Characteristics: Culms upright, bending above. Culm-internodes initially green, maturing to purplish-black.